MAKEUP HAS ALLOWED ME TO EXTEND THIS CREATIVITY AND CANVAS TO MORE THAN JUST A SHEET OF PAPER

MAKEUP ALLOWS ME TO BE ADAPTABLE IN A VERY PECULIAR WAY BECAUSE IT HAS SO MANY USES FOR IT

I view makeup as an armour; an armour of creativity and make-believe that has allowed people to transform their face into something new, be it subtly or dramatically.

On the challenges faced when she opened up about her gender identity and how she overcame them.

‍I remember this scene vividly. It was actually the very first obstacle that I went through when it comes to opening up about my gender identity. One day I had two of my close cousins asking me to hang out. I thought we’re just gonna chill and have fun, but it wasn’t fun at all. They took me to a private place to talk and began questioning me with a sharp tone. It felt like an interrogation. I felt very attacked because I had to come out forcefully without being given the time I needed to prepare. My cousin was just generally very confused. She asked something that became ingrained in my head, “What if I decided that I like a woman in the near future?”. I had to compose myself on spot because I saw why it was hard for them to comprehend this issue. It was simply because they had sexual orientation and gender identity mixed up, a common misconception amongst people. I explained to them how gender identity and sexual orientation isn’t synonymous. Even if I might be attracted to women in the future, I would still be presenting myself as a female.

‍On the medium she has chosen to express herself through.

‍Makeup allows me to be adaptable in a very peculiar way because it has so many uses for it. I actually started to be into makeup after my experiments with special FX (special effects). So, the first thing that I tried was SFX, then it went on to editorial, then bridal and so on. All these skills collectively have allowed me to paint a pretty face on myself. SFX has taught me the art of manipulation, editorial has taught me the art of subtlety, bridal has taught me the art of beauty. That is how I view makeup during my transition, the subtle manipulation of beauty. Makeup is also forever changing. I can always learn something new by being influenced by makeup trends that were popular in the past. I want to educate people on the complexities of makeup, the technical aspects, the application, techniques used and why products should be used in particular manners.

On the implementation of the element of Phantasmagoria in her work

‍Yeah, of course with a  particular terminology for it: ‘catfishing’. Makeup has always been known for something that is very transformative. It falls perfectly under the theme of Phantasmagoria, because essentially makeup is a facade. I view makeup as an armour; an armour of creativity and make-believe that has allowed people to transform their face into something new, be it subtle or dramatic. This correlates to Phantasmagoria as makeup becomes a tool of manipulation for someone. To break it down even further, technique like contouring allows people to sculpt their face to be entirely different and if done correctly blurs the line between reality and illusion.